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Pole Dancing with Mom Friends

Note that there are no photos for this post.

And yes, it was I who lunched yesterday on fancypants Newbury Street, the Rodeo Drive of Boston, with my CoffeeShopBloggers group — my “self-help” mom bloggers group (not to stop blogging but to get better at it). We met with a lovely gentleman from litl who is a power tweetdeck user and he taught us the ins and outs of Tweetdeck and Twitter. If you don’t use tweetdeck because of that annoying “bloop” sound that it makes every time there is a new tweet from the folks you follow, now I know how to turn that blasted thing off (under settings). Tweetdeck is awesome because it helps you to sort your incoming tweets so you are read the ones that most apply to your interests PLUS it connects to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace. You need it if you follow thousands of people. Read more…

Dr. Seuss eBook Apps Are Wonderful!

I can not rave more about OceanHouse Media’s Dr. Seuss iPhone app books and iPad app books. They really get it. The ebook is a different medium than a print book and therefore should have different — ENHANCED — functionality that truly makes it a different, and yes, possibly better, experience than a traditional book. Of course, that is not to say that a snuggle-up-bedtime-book can never be replaced, and you probably wouldn’t snuggle up with your child at bedtime on your iPhone reading your ebook (unless you are on vacation and ran out of good reading material), but maybe with an iPad you would. Read more…

Mommy Prayers Makes Moms Laugh

Dear God, thank you for Mommy Prayers because when I read this book, I laughed so hard I accidentally spit out part of my lunch. Thank you for Tracy Mayor because she’s a mom friend of my mom friend at work and I want her to be my mom friend, too. Read more…

Preschool Book and CD to Learn Chinese

I saw this on a blog somewhere in cyberspace and I wanted to try it out with my kids. My Chinese tutor really likes this book because songs and nursery rhymes are a great way to expose kids to Chinese. The nursery rhymes are familiar to English speakers which makes this a really appealing book to toddlers, preschoolers and early elementary school students. The Chinese nursery rhymes have both phonetics, Chinese characters and English along with Chinese cultural information and full color illustrations. Read more…

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss Warns About Environment Decades Ago

First published in 1971 long before concerns about the environment were common, Dr. Seuss penned The Lorax which warned against greed and unrestrained industrialization. This timeless tale is about the now remorseful “Once-Ler” who destroyed a pristine area that once flourished with fish, creatures and birds through his desire to “bigger.” The Lorax who pops out of the first tree he downs speaks for the trees and creatures but can’t change the Once-Ler’s mind until it’s too late. Read more…

YA WWII Jewish Story Set in Florida

This award winning young adult novel (National Book Award Winner, A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year and An ALA Best Book for Young Adults) is a coming of age novel that oozes with “Mad Men” glamor and ambiance. Fifteen-year-old Evie’s stepfather returns from WWII and the family heads off to Palm Beach. It is here that layers of secrets and lies are revealed bit by bit. Read more…

Great Non-Fiction Books for Young Kids

True or False series by Melvin and Gilda Berger is a young science series in a fun question-and-answer format. My kids reviewed Storms and Birds and gave both a thumbs up. My oldest has been studying weather as a science unit in 4th Grade so she was familiar with hurricanes and tornadoes but there were still factoids that she enjoyed learning from the book. The Birds book covers birds from all different continents; my fourth grader knew all these factoids but still enjoyed it. My 5-year-old also could participate in the Q and A so this made a nice group bedtime story. Read more…

Chapter Book for Kids Reminds Me of Ground Hog Day Movie

Imagine spending your first ten birthdays with your best friend who happens to be a boy. Now imagine a terrible fight that lasts a year, and a miserable 11th birthday without him. Now do that over and over again, Groundhog Day movie style. Read more…

Asian Percy Jackson-Like Adventure Book for Kids

Lloyd Alexander’s The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen reminds me of Percy Jackson but the zen version or even a more swashbuckling version of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin. I’m a big fan of Lloyd Alexander. His Black Cauldron series was one of my favorites when I was a kid but I never came across this book until recently. Read more…